• Chasing Darkness

  • An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel, Book 12
  • By: Robert Crais
  • Narrated by: James Daniels
  • Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,114 ratings)

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Chasing Darkness  By  cover art

Chasing Darkness

By: Robert Crais
Narrated by: James Daniels
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Publisher's summary

Private Investigator Elvis Cole learns that LA fires bring more than heat, they bring his old friend Joe Pike and the past. Cole’s fight to clear his name brings murder and corruption terrifyingly close to home.

It’s fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. When police and fire department personnel rush door to door in a frenzied evacuation effort, they discover the week-old corpse of an apparent suicide. But the gunshot victim is less gruesome than what they find in his lap: a photo album of seven brutally murdered young women - one per year, for seven years. And when the suicide victim is identified as a former suspect in one of the murders, the news turns Elvis Cole’s world upside down.

Three years earlier Lionel Byrd was brought to trial for the murder of a female prostitute named Yvonne Bennett. A taped confession coerced by the police inspired a prominent defense attorney to take Byrd’s case, and Elvis Cole was hired to investigate. It was Cole’s eleventh-hour discovery of an exculpatory videotape that allowed Lionel Byrd to walk free. Elvis was hailed as a hero.

But the discovery of the death album in Byrd’s lap now brands Elvis as an unwitting accomplice to murder. Captured in photographs that could only have been taken by the murderer, Yvonne Bennett was the fifth of the seven victims - two more young women were murdered after Lionel Byrd walked free. So Elvis can’t help but wonder - did he, Elvis Cole, cost two more young women their lives?

Shut out of the investigation by a special LAPD task force determined to close the case, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike desperately fight to uncover the truth about Lionel Byrd and his nightmare album of death - a truth hidden by lies, politics, and corruption in a world where nothing is what it seems to be.

Chasing Darkness is a blistering thriller from the bestselling author who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime writing.

©2008 Robert Crais (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Little in life is as satisfying as a new Elvis Cole novel. Each installment of Robert Crais' 20-year-old series is like meeting a good friend for lunch who you haven't seen in a long time."--Chicago Tribune

What listeners say about Chasing Darkness

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 08-25-08

Elvis & Pike Ride Again

Years ago I sat next to an actual private detective on an airplane and he recommended Robert Crais. I have devoured all of his books and enjoyed every one of them. Chasing Darkness is no exception. James Daniels does a respectable job with the narration and my only complaint is that the book is finished so quickly.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Elvis Cole private detective thriller!

My only issue with the Cole/Pike thrillers by Robert Crais is the use of James Daniels as narrator. It is not really his fault; Daniels' nasal voice is simply wrong for the content. Chasing Darkness, Book 12 in the 15 book series, is thankfully the last that James Daniels narrated. The narrator of the more recent Crais audiobooks is Luke Daniels who is far better suited for the task. I down rate audiobooks for narration only when the narrator detracts from the listening experience. Unfortunately that is true here.

This novel is about serial murders that a dead man is wrongly believed to have committed. Elvis Cole is the primary protagonist while Joe Pike plays a minor role.

RECOMMENDED!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cole and Pike, great entertainment

The book starts out with the solving of 7 murders, with the suicide of the killer. That's what it appears to be anyway. But Elvis Cole, had cleared the victim from one of those murders, and won't rest until he discovers the real truth behind the suicide. Thus starts, a real murder mystery, with lots of fact finding, clues, and a whole lot of suspects.
With the combination of Cole's humor, and Pike's cameo pop-ins, it makes for a very interesting listen.
The real killer isn't all that easy to figure out either, as more evidence unfolds throughout the story, til the very end.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A little darker Elvis

This is a good mystery, where the possible pepetrators keep changing throughout the book. I felt that this one had Elvis having more of Joe Pike's personality due to the the narrator's presentation. It is a little darker, not the sprightly Elvis Cole of other books. Still a great story, just a different presentation.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice Surprise

I downloaded this one because it was on sale. I had only listened to one other Crais novel and it was not very good (The Watchman - in that one, Pike is the lead character and Cole is the minor character).

In this one, Cole is the lead character and can definitely carry the lead, whereas the Pike character cannot, imho.

All in all, the story was good, characters good, he pulls the story together quite nicely and the narrator is good.

I almost rated it 5-stars, but reserve that for the best of the best.

This one was good - and recommended!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Top of the Line Story Read By Superb Narrator

Where does Chasing Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I read several series continuously and Crais' is one of my top five.

What did you like best about this story?

Just effortless storytelling.

Have you listened to any of James Daniels’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

James Daniels is the only believable voice of Elvis and Joe.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not my favorite story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I always enjoy Elvis and joe, but this story was not quite on par with many others. Still a good

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Nice wrap-up. I wondered what inspired the title.

What about James Daniels???s performance did you like?

Excellent. Narrators are my reason for listening rather than reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

I am eager to hear the next Elvis or joe novel.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Start to Finish!

I LOVED this book. Suspenseful with just the right twists and turns.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Absolutely Robert Crais

wonderful, as always

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Man up and ranger On, Joe & Carol

James Daniels reads a few of the best Elvis novels. He is Joe Pike. There are three novels that include Carol Starkey A.k.a. demolition angel. The Last Detective, the forgotten man and this story. All are not to be missed. My most fave is the Watchman. Use the new 1.25x speed on The First Rule as Robert Crais does great reading it. Please let me know if info was helpful. Enjoy

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3 people found this helpful